THE ART OF CITIZENSHIP: FORMATIVE RESEARCH IN THE DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A CIVICS COURSEBOOK (CALIFORNIA)

Social studies has accepted responsibility for the academic preparation of youth to actively participate in citizenship. The successful achievement of that responsibility is not demonstrated. After years of "political education" in the classroom, most youth do not even vote. The average 18 to 20 year-old secondary school graduate votes the least of any age group; only 20 percent, a record low turnout, voted in 1978. Why? Why doesn't Johnny vote and what, if anything, can social studies do?; Nonvoters, according to conventional wisdom, are labeled politically apathetic. It may be more complex than that. Nonvoting may also reflect ineffective citizenship programs. This study argued two contributory reasons for nonvoting: (1) the "media event" messages of political election communications are complex and manipulative; it would be natural to avoid such a dissonant process. (2) citizenship education is not preparing youth to analyze those messages.; This study involved two objectives. The first objective was the use of formative research in the development of a citizenship coursebook. The paradigm of formative research was chosen because it is directly responsive to--redesigned with--the needs and interests of the students themselves. The material, therefore, can become more efficacious and student relevant.; A coursebook was chosen because textual materials are important, perhaps critical, in the learning process. At the same time, most contemporary textbooks are criticized because, as commercial compromises, they are not only ineffective but lack student relevancy. In short, the presentation of a process of empirical political analysis based upon a methodological understanding of past California election Propositions represented the how in this study; a formatively researched, specially designed supplemental coursebook, was the medium.; The second objective was to field test this process with an experimental field study involving two social studies teachers and seventy-two seniors, during the fall semester, 1981-1982, at a public secondary school near San Francisco, California.; The procedures of formative research resulted in a different and far better coursebook. The process contributed, easily and inexpensively, to the development of more student relevant textual materials. The results of this study suggest that most textual materials, in many fields, can be improved through this process.